What If

If you ever want to see a future Academy Award nominee and the world’s most famous wizard discuss the merits of a sandwich consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and a pound of bacon, What If is your only destination. I first watched this on a flickering laptop screen while my apartment’s radiator made a rhythmic clanking noise like a dying robot, and honestly, the sheer calories of that "Fool’s Gold" sandwich conversation were the only thing keeping me warm.

Released in 2013—or 2014, depending on which side of the border you were on and how much the MPAA scared your local distributor—What If (originally titled The F Word) arrived at a strange crossroads in cinema. We were deep into the "indie-stork" era of romantic comedies, where every lead had to be a whimsical animator or a cynical writer living in a suspiciously clean loft. But beneath the hipster trappings of Toronto (playing itself for once!), there’s a genuine, beating heart here that most rom-coms of the early 2010s lacked.

The Post-Potter Pivot

For many, the draw was seeing Daniel Radcliffe finally step out from behind the circular spectacles. By 2013, the "Harry Potter" machine had powered down, and Radcliffe was aggressively pursuing "the work." Watching him play Wallace, a medical school dropout who spends his nights on rooftops rearranging magnetic poetry, feels like watching an athlete learn a new sport. He’s twitchy, dry, and carries a specific kind of "I’ve been burned by love" baggage that feels remarkably lived-in. He isn't playing a heartthrob; he’s playing a guy who thinks he’s the side character in his own life.

Opposite him is Zoe Kazan as Chantry. At the time, Kazan was fresh off writing Ruby Sparks, and she brings a similar intelligence to her performance here. Chantry isn't a prize to be won; she’s an animator with a committed, five-year relationship with a guy named Ben (Rafe Spall, playing the "stable boyfriend" with just enough charm that you don't immediately root for his demise). The chemistry between Radcliffe and Kazan isn't the explosive, Hollywood-lighting kind; it’s the "we’ve stayed up until 3:00 AM talking about nothing" kind. It’s comfortable, which makes the inevitable romantic tension feel much more dangerous.

Driver, Davis, and the Chaos Factor

While the leads provide the emotional anchor, the movie’s secret weapons are Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis. This was pre-Star Wars Driver, back when he was mostly known for Girls, and he radiates a chaotic, feral energy as Wallace’s best friend, Allan. Every time he’s on screen, the movie’s heart rate doubles. There is a specific scene where he describes a sexual encounter and then immediately demands nachos that might be the peak of 21st-century cinematic line delivery.

Mackenzie Davis, in one of her earlier roles, matches his intensity beat for beat. Their relationship serves as the wild, uninhibited mirror to Wallace and Chantry’s repressed pining. Looking back from the vantage point of the 2020s, seeing these two—now major stars—playing the "funny best friend" archetypes is a fascinating time capsule of the 2010s indie talent pool.

The "F Word" Dilemma

The film’s production history is a classic case of "how to confuse an audience." Originally titled The F Word (referring to "Friends"), the title had to be changed to What If in the United States to avoid a restrictive rating and marketing headaches. It’s a shame, because the original title captures the film's central anxiety far better.

Director Michael Dowse (who previously gave us the cult hockey hit Goon) handles the material with a light, almost tactile touch. The cinematography by Rogier Stoffers makes Toronto look like a storybook without losing the grit of a late-night diner. There are these wonderful animated interludes—representing Chantry’s work—that could have felt like "indie-quirk" overkill, but instead, they provide a window into her internal world that the dialogue can't quite reach.

I’ve always felt that the movie's greatest strength is its willingness to let its characters be wrong. They make selfish choices. They lie to themselves. They stay in "friendships" that are clearly something else because they’re terrified of the fallout. It captures that specific post-9/11, pre-TikTok era of millennial angst where everyone was just trying to find a connection that felt "real" amidst a sea of digital irony.

Stuff You Didn't Notice

The film is based on a play called Toothpaste and Cigars by T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi. You can still feel the stage-play bones in the rapid-fire, walk-and-talk dialogue. The "Fool’s Gold" sandwich is a real thing. It was famously a favorite of Elvis Presley, who once reportedly flew his private jet from Memphis to Denver just to pick up a few of them. The scene where Rafe Spall falls out of a window was partially improvised, leading to a genuine reaction from Radcliffe. Look closely at Chantry’s animations; they were actually created by a team of artists to mimic Zoe Kazan’s own doodling style. * Despite being set in Toronto, the film’s tax-credit-hopping production meant some "local" scenes were actually shot on the fly with a very small crew to maintain that authentic, low-budget feel.

What If doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it polishes it until you can see your own reflection in the hubcap. It’s a film about the messy, inconvenient, and often irritating reality of falling for someone who is technically "unavailable." It succeeds because it respects its characters enough to let them be complicated. If you're looking for a romantic comedy that feels like a conversation with a smart, slightly cynical friend, this is the one. Just maybe skip the 8,000-calorie sandwich if you're watching it late at night.